For years now, rapid growth of commuters and vehicle population have plagued Metro Manila, the center of Philippine socio-economic and political activities. Heavy traffic, pollution and all the attendant undesired results have been problems that Metro Manila have to contend with daily.

A case in point is on EDSA, a 24-kilometer stretch from Mac Arthur Highway at Caloocan City in the north of Metro Manila to Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, south of Metro Manila.

Considered one of the world’s highest volume thoroughfares, EDSA is a semicircular ring road link with several radial roads leading to the metropolis’ social, economic and political centers.

The avenue cuts across cities of Caloocan, Quezon, Mandaluyong , Makati and Pasay and bounds Pasig City and the town of San Juan.

EDSA’s importance to the lives of more than eight million people or 12 percent of the country’s 68 million citizens who live in Metro Manila cannot be underestimated. Added to the metropolis’ growing population are the transients and migrants who come to live in Metro Manila in search of opportunities. Every birth, transient or migrant, is a potential commuter who will likely join more than 2.8 million people already using EDSA. At the same time, every birth, and transient or migrants, is also a potential car owner likely to occupy 4.6 meters by 2.7 meters, the average car area of street space.

The fast pedestrian and vehicle population growth has become a major headache for metropolitan planners who concede that Metro Manila’s road, which comprise less than 10 percent of the country’s network, cannot adequately accommodate pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Streets in the metropolis expand by less than two percent annually.

Statistics add that traffic have caused the loss of over Php15 billion yearly due to lost manhours, repairs and maintenance and lost fuel. Added are unquantifiable discomfort commuters and vehicle owners undergo when they travel through major streets. At worse, heavy traffic is taking its toll on the nation’s social and economic build-up. Traffic in Metro Manila is expected to nearly resemble nerve wracking conditions is Bangkok, Thailand and in other parts of the world.

Experts agree that a long-term solution, beyond just keeping vehicles off the streets, is imperative. On of the solutions that the government sponsored was the establishment of the EDSA MRT3 system.

A metro line on EDSA was envisioned in the plan of Electrowatt Engineering Services of Zürich during the construction of the LRT. The plan consisted of a 150 kilometre network of rapid transit lines spanning all major corridors within 20 years, including a line on EDSA.

In the 1990s, the MRTC was awarded a Build-Operate-Transfer contract by the DOTC. The DOTC would have ownership of the system and assume all administrative functions, such as the regulation of fares and operations. The MRTC would have responsibility over construction and maintenance of the system and the procurement of spare parts for trains. In exchange, the DOTC would pay the MRTC monthly fees for a certain number of years to reimburse any incurred costs.

Construction started on September 16, 1997 after the MRTC signed an amended turnkey agreement with a consortium of companies, which included Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Sumitomo Corporation, and a local company, EEI Corporation, which was subcontracted for civil works. A separate agreement was signed with ČKD on rolling stock. MRTC also retained the services of ICF Kaiser Engineers and Constructors to provide program management and technical oversight of the services for the design, construction management and commissioning.

During construction, the MRTC oversaw the design, construction, equipping, testing, and commissioning, while the DOTC oversaw technical supervision of the project activities covered by the BOT contract between the DOTC and MRTC. The DOTC also sought the services of Systra, a French consultant firm, with regards to the technical competence, experience and track record in the construction and operations.

On December 16, 1999, the initial section, from North Avenue to Buendia, opened, followed on July 20, 2000 by the remainder, from Buendia to Taft Avenue.

Ridership was initially far below expectations, since passengers had to climb long flights of stairs to enter a station, and fares were higher than on the LRT. Some stations have been retrofitted with escalators and elevators for easier access, and ridership has increased. By 2004 MRT had the highest ridership of the three lines, with 400,000 passengers daily.